


Taboo

by Ness_RiddleRabbit



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Derse/Prospit Royalty, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Dom Jake English, F/F, Idk how to tag things, M/M, Modern Royalty, POV Dirk Strider, POV Jake English, Prince Dirk Strider, Sub Dirk Strider, ill add more later, prince jake english
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2020-04-07 08:31:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19081330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ness_RiddleRabbit/pseuds/Ness_RiddleRabbit
Summary: Jake's a flirty prince who has an affinity for all things " off limits. " It just so happens that Prince Dirk of Derse is currently off limits.The idea was heavily inspired byPeachBriseadh'sficHey, Golden Boyand I strongly suggest you read it, Peach is a much better writer than me and her stories are so amazing I cannot stress enough how much you should read her stuff. Honestly, the only reason I wrote this fic is that I felt so inspired by her, but yeah, her stuff is great, please read it I swear you won't regret it





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I now have a Tumblr for questions regarding my writing, check it out if you have the time; 
> 
> [My Ask Blog](https://askmeaboutmywriting.tumblr.com/)

Dirk's POV

Your name is Dirk Strider, prince of Derse, destroyer of souls, ruthless warrior, and a huge wuss. Right now you're standing your room wondering where your life went wrong, how you got to the point of pining for Prospit's prince-or lord as he likes to be called, who, by the way, is a complete and utter idiot and not to mention womanizer, Jake Harley-Egbert. The only reason you two have ever even spoken is because of your damned arranged marriage with his older sister, the princess of Prospit, Jane Harley-Egbert. 

While Jane is a wonderful person and you're glad to know her, you have no interest in having marital relations with her. If you were straight, that'd be a different story, but unfortunately, you're not. You've never once been romantically, physically, sexually, or mentally attracted to a woman. You have no problem with girls and are entirely for equal rights, but you can't even begin to imagine a version of you which is straight, though you're almost sure there has to be. 

Another thing to note about you is your awareness of the various versions of yourself that are scattered across billions of timelines, but you prefer the term "splinters. " It just sounds less.. Intimidating and philosophical, which usually is something you'd be interested in. See, you have a fondness for spending hours and hours pondering over life's answerless questions. It gives you something to do when you can't sleep, which happens often. You also have an affinity for puppets, rapping, horses, Japanese animation, and a particular children's show containing magical talking ponies. And no, we will not be going over why, how, or when you decided to watch it, being as you're a fully grown man. 

Surprisingly, this internal monologue has only taken up 5 minutes. Also, you're talking to yourself. How pathetic, you think, I have no one around to listen... Probably because they don't like you, though you don't blame them. You're a bit of a hard-ass at times and pushy at others. Though your intentions are never malicious or ill-willed, people tend to misconstrue them as such. This further pushes the stereotype that all Dersian's are cold and insensitive. You know for a fact that could not be farther from the truth. Roxy Lalonde, your half-sister, is the kindest person you've ever met, and more compassionate than ⅔ of Prospitians. She listens to all your problems, no matter how stupid they are or how little sense they make. No, what makes a person a true Dersian is their intelligence. Usually, your subjects are inventive, which is one of the only things you can say you're proud of. Derse was the kingdom that introduced technology into the world, the hard-working gears and cogs that you call subjects labored for centuries trying to decipher electricity and how to transport it, and finally, they pulled through. The intelligence lurking in the dark land you rule over is concerning, one may overthrow you someday. But perhaps that'd be a good thing, to have a change in politics instead of keeping the power in the family just for social status and riches. 

Moving on from that though, you're expected in the courtyard for a meeting with one Jake Harley-Egbert. He has something in store, you're sure of it, his need for entertainment is something you could easily compare to greed or lust. And he seems to have found something about you absolutely captivating. It makes your heart flutter a little, but you ignore the feeling as you descend the steep, spiral staircase.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You-or Dirk rather-comes face to face with the devilishly charming man he fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap... I was not expecting 300 likes on my story, let alone any at all... Thank you all so much! It means a lot to me and I plan on making a bunch of chapters for this story! I hope you all enjoy the newest
> 
> Constructive criticism is always welcome, and again, thank you all so much!

Dirk's POV

As you reach the corridor and peer into the garden, you see him. He's got dark caramel skin and a crooked grin that could turn a desert into an ocean. He has luxurious dark brown hair that forms a cowlick in the front. He's taller than you, not by much, but it's still noticeable. He's also stronger than you. He's a bull compared to your crane-like physique. The frames of his glasses are made of pure Prospitian gold and dappled with small, but noticeable, cut emeralds that match his eyes. The adorable buck-teeth he sports doesn't help the matter of your forbidden attraction one bit, neither do his dimples.

He smiles wider as you draw closer, and you think you may have seen him lick his bottom lip, but that could be your mind tricking you into seeing what you want to. He's got a long cape that trails behind him just slightly. His golden vest made of silk is embroidered with intricate Damask patterns in light hues of yellow. His bright gray suspenders hook onto his white pants with golden thread lining the pockets and forming small, intricate swirls along the way. Eyes trail behind him everywhere he goes, no matter the kingdom. His clothes are probably worth more than your palace. Despite how utterly annoying it is, his vanity is something to behold.

Once you're standing in front of him, the true terror sets in. If you show any emotion, he'll recognize the discomfort hiding behind the dark triangular glasses you wear. You have to disguise your eyes somehow, and contacts are too annoying for you to deal with right now. 

It seems strange, having to shield your eyes, and the reasoning behind it is equally as illogical, but it's for the best. You see, nothing is wrong with them, except the color. Derse is known for its darker colors, and your orange eyes are a sign to many who've seen them that tragedy or some ill-will will befall Derse. Some rumors have been spread in the past of you being a Prospitian spy or some ludicrous idea like that. Seeing as Prospit's associated colors are brighter, golden colors, like orange, you don't entirely blame their anxieties, as inconvenient as it is. To fix the issue, you have vibrant purple contact lenses and a pair of dark sunglasses. 

You're brought back to reality when he speaks, with a glossy accent seeping into every word. It's rather soothing to you.

"Hello, prince Strider." He takes your hand and kisses it softly, and despite your best efforts to control yourself, a light blush dusts your cheeks. If you had to describe Jake in one word, it would be alluring. That's no different today; his charm is on point like pistols, aimed perfectly towards your heart. He must've noticed the pinkish tint spreading across your face; his smile turns into a smug smirk. Half of you would like to slap it off of his face; the other half would love to stop time and gaze at it, or even just him, for hours. 

Something is different about his attire, though. His outfit is much more withdrawn and breezy than usual. You have a feeling that he's looking for trouble.

"I hope you'll pardon my dreadful intrusion into your lovely abode, but I've been manifesting quite a hunger for a good-old-fashioned scuffle, and since you're quite the talented combatant, I'd like to challenge you." 

Oh no. This won't end well, not for you at least. You love dueling; it's practically your favorite pass time, but against Jake… That's a bad idea and a half. You'll admit, only to yourself, not out loud, that you too have been hungering for a good fight as well. You do wish that it could've been with someone else though. Preferably, someone you didn't fancy. The last time you attempted to best him, you let yourself get distracted in the heat of the moment, and he won. On your grounds. It was terribly humiliating.

"I suppose I will let your invasion go by… For the sole reason of accepting your trial. On one condition. If I win, you'll no longer intrude whenever you so please." 

"And if I win?" His devilish tone is off-putting, but you have to accept your fate.

"That's up to you." You hold back your small tremors.

"That's a mighty fine deal you've got there, Strider." You're playing right into his hands. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

"If I win… I get to pick a punishment." You nod and begin walking down the corridor and into the garden to the clearing you've always loved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now we move onto Jake's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being so supportive, it really means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy this new chapter

Jake's POV

That was smooth English, real smooth. Of bloody course you would get to pick the punishment if you won! Oh well, there's no use crying over spilled milk as they say. For now, you should probably follow him, seeing as this fight will happen no matter what you do at this point, besides, you're quite looking forward to having an audience with the luminous man standing before you. You swear, he could light up an entire room just by walking in, something you never thought you'd say about a Dersian. 

You start walking after him, totally not watching how his hips move, no, not at all, that would just be vulgar. He looks back at you and oh Gods you hope he hasn't noticed your cheeks which are now flushed with embarrassment. You're pretty sure you just saw the hint of a smile at the brim of his mouth, but it could just be your imagination running wild as usual. Dirk Strider is not a man of many emotions; in fact, you're pretty sure he has none at all. Or at least you would if the lad didn't blush so easily. The poor man must turn bright red when a handsome fellow just glances at him. 

Oh yes, you've picked up on his preference of men over women; in fact, it seems that even the thought of being with one scares him a little. Poor Jane has it rough, what with her being engaged to a gay man and all. They get along fine, but it doesn't seem like he's interested in her at all, though that isn't entirely bad. For you, that is. You would never intentionally hurt Jane, not in a million years or the promise of the most thrilling adventure the world has yet to offer, but you're pretty sure she knows just as well as you do that her tantalizing suitor, Dirk Strider, doesn't swing that way. 

Besides, she's also had her eyes on another. Another that happens to be Striders older sister, Roxy Lalonde. You can't say you blame her, Roxy is an absolute pleasure to be around, but you prefer a challenge when it comes to love. That may be why you targeted Dirk. He's as stubborn as a bronco and cold as the arctic if you don't play your cards right. One mistake could lead him to shut you down right then and there, not afraid of adverse repercussions. You've witnessed it and would be lying if you said it wasn't at least a little attractive. Though you feel bad for the poor sap who suffered his wrath, Cronus was his name... or at least you think it was. 

So far you've been pretty up-front about it all, while also letting him read between the lines of you as he loves to do. Perhaps he strives for the same thing you do, entertainment. And not to be rude to your dear sister, but... she certainly lives up to the saying "plain Jane." You sometimes even wonder if she reads the terms and conditions before pressing the "I agree " button when downloading an app. Nevermind that though, you'll have more time for stupid questions such as those later, right now, you've got a fight, and perhaps even a heart, to win.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I've decided to start uploading at the end of the month from now on, also this is my first time writing a fight scene so go easy on me lol

Jake's POV

The sun shines down on the ground you and Dirk are tussling on, the breeze is slow and cold. In any other situation, you'd be inclined to invite him to join you on an adventure, but this isn't any other situation. Right now, you two are matched, his fist is caught in your palm as yours flies towards his stomach. He struggles and slips out of your grasp just in time, and you punch empty air as he ducks under your hand. His agile maneuver leaves a trace of disappointment and rage in your mouth. You only have a few seconds to process his swift movement before he's swept you off your feet, literally. You fall to the ground with a thud. The sting of a newly forming bruise on your back travels through your nerves. You get to your feet quickly before he can strike again, the issue is that now you can't find him.

Remembering how his usual tactic to avoid being caught is by hiding, you survey your surroundings quickly before finding him crouching on a tree branch above you. You make sure that he sees your smirk before grabbing his tailcoat and pulling him down to your level. "Hiding in a tree..? That doesn't sound very fair to me." You take a moment to chuckle, somewhat for added effect, but mostly because what you said rhymed. You're clearly very easily amused. He furrows his brows, you aren't sure if it's out of anger or disappointment. "No, I'm not letting you slip out of my hands this time." You grab his leg and pull on it, effectively removing him from the tree. You land a critical blow to his chest, knocking the air out of him. By the look of it now, you'll most likely win, but that could change quickly if you let your arrogance get the better of you. He pants a little and looks up at you. God does it kill you… he looks scared and desperate, utterly pathetic. It tears at your heartstrings; so much so that you sub-consciously loosen your grip. He smiles. He fucking smiles. Not kindly, but smugly. You walked right into his trap. 

The color drains from your face as punches you. You stumble back a little but manage to keep your balance, but at that point, it's too late, Dirk's already making his move. The sound of his foot hitting your face after lunging off the ground shatters the air as you cough up a bit of blood. You still have no idea how he's fighting with such constricting clothes, but you decide to just assume they may be made to look that way. But that's beside the point. Your adrenaline is starting to kick in, and your anxiety is starting to waver, leaving room for determination and perseverance. As he lands on his feet again, you decide to plan out your next attack quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have a question but this chapter or any of the others? Let me know here;   
> [My Ask Blog](https://askmeaboutmywriting.tumblr.com)

Dirk's POV

It's been about an hour now since the fight finished. You won, but Jake's still here since it got dark. You both just sat down for dinner after talking for a while about the latest news in your respective kingdoms. You sit at the head of the table, and he sits next to you. Once the table is set and the food has been doled out, you both start enjoying your meal. 

"Strider, could you be honest with me for a moment?" Jake looks up at you after he says that.

"Of course." You put down your fork and fold your hands in front of you.

"You seem very tense when you're around Jane... Why is that?" He tilts his head.

"Oh..." You hadn't realized he'd noticed. " I suppose it's just that she's a bit intense. I even get a little scared around her sometimes. Besides, we both know she only goes along with our marriage because it'll bring attention to Crockercorp, and she'll profit more from the newfound fame in Derse." Jake just chuckles and smiles at you.

"You know, that may be true, but she's a good person at heart." You nod, and it wasn't just to avoid an argument. You fully agree, but still would rather be with someone you love and who loves you back than with someone who's only using your arranged marriage as a stepping stone for exposure. 

"I just wish there was an easy way to get out of it. Like if I just made a business deal with her instead..." Jake looks up at you when you say that.

"Strider that's it! You're a bloody genius!"

"I am? How?"

"What do you mean how? You just solved your problem without even thinking about it!"

"Wait... So we just make a deal with her and that's it? It'll be over?"

"Yes exactly! You'll be free to date me and- Oh dear... I've said too much" He stops at that moment and starts to blush, it's adorable. You smile a little at him, making sure he sees."Y'know, I had suspected that, I'm just glad I was right." You smirk, but inside you're more happy than smug.

"Well then... at least I didn't embarrass myself too much then." He rubs the back of his neck anxiously. "But anyways, all we need to do is come up with a contract allowing her to sell and trade in Derse and she'll be satisfied. The only issue is the public... If we end it so abruptly they'll know it was all just a publicity scheme and may react badly..."

"You seem to care a lot about what they think..."

"Can you blame me though... they're my subjects, if they aren't happy with me... why should I even be their prince?"

"I mean, I could honestly just tell you but that isn't important right now. I just want to focus on getting Jane here and establishing what she wants in the contract." You continue eating as Jake watches you looking puzzled.

"Can you elaborate on what you mean by that?"

"By what? The contract?"

"No, about me having no real purpose as my people's leader if they don't like me."

"Well..." You put down your fork again. "We're all born with roles, your's is to serve your kingdom despite their feelings towards you. It is your blood right after all, even if you don't like that." He sighs.

"I guess you're right... But still, I'd feel bad knowing I'm not serving them well..."

"That's something you just have to live with. People aren't always going to love you Jake, no matter how good of a person you are." He looks away, you clearly gave him a reality check. "But that doesn't mean that you couldn't redeem yourself in the future... You have plenty of time to prove your worth to all of Prospit, and I'm sure that it would be easy. And why would the Prospitians get upset over a publicity scheme?"

"Well... one of Prospit's core values is honesty, and by breaking that I'm basically saying that Prospit's kings and queens of the past and possibly of the future won't be honest with them. I really just wish we'd never arranged this whole ordeal in the first place..." You nod, sharing that same dreadful feeling. You wanted to stop it, you really did, but at the end of the day, business is always a part of politics in some way. It's just that this time, business meant an arranged marriage that neither parties were enjoying. Not to mention, you'd eventually have to have an heir or heiress to your throne, and that would bring up more issues about having children and all. You'd love to adopt and bring some new blood in the family, but you aren't sure how Derse would react. 

For the most part, Derse is a very traditional kingdom, expecting gender-roles to be enforced every which way, and prioritizing the mindset that blood is thicker than water, and by the way Jake's worrying about this, you can infer the same about Prospit.

"So how do we end this then?" He looks at you once more.

"I guess the best thing we could do... is introduce another couple into the mix?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive critism is always welcomed as usual and now that I have a Tumblr for questions I'd love to see all of your feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short, I know, but I'm gonna be moving within the next 2 months so I need to start figuring all the small details of that out. Regardless though, I wanted to release a chapter for you all. So yeah, I hope you enjoy.

Jane's POV

It was a sunny day yesterday, all of the days had been. You were standing in your office in CrockerCorp's main building when your brother called. He said to come to Derse as soon as you could and that it was important. So now here you are, sitting in the lounge of your fiance's palace, having a cup of coffee, listening to the two of them babble on about how they don't like the marriage and that you all need to come up with a plan to end it. Of course, you don't really want to since expanding into Derse would greatly benefit CrockerCorp, but you'll wait to see if they have some sort of solution to that in mind. For now, you cross your legs, nod, and listen.

"So now all we need to do is convince the people that things just weren't working out." Jake says, and you sigh.

"Which they aren't... but either way, I'm doing this for my company, emotions aren't involved. If you two want to be together or whatever while Dirk and I are married, fine. I don't give a shit. But my company _will_ be expanding into Derse."

"And that it will." Dirk looks at you. "I planned on coming up with a contract allowing you to expand into Derse as long as I am king. However... you would need to work with us." You smile a little. You enjoy Dirk's company, he's a lot less obnoxious than your brother, and he's pretty professional too. 

"I assume you mean about ending the arrangement." He nods.

"You have connections in Prospit, if you get them to start pushing the fact that neither of us are happy with the arrangement, it might lighten the blow once we call the marriage off." You pause for a minute.

"And what about your connections?"

"I've already contacted them." You nod.

"Fine. I'll be staying in touch then."


	7. Announcement.

So... I've been gone now for 3 months. Over that time I considered many things, like where the story was headed and if I even liked it anymore. About a week ago I finally reached the decision that I didn't like the idea of continuing it for now. I have little time to write since I have school to deal with and I'll have even less time over the summer since I plan on getting a job. Who knows, maybe in the future I'll continue the story, but for now, this is it. I'm not sure whether or not I should post a summary of the ending here or not so it will be on my Tumblr. I have a few ideas for little one-shots I may do at some point and hopefully I can start pumping out stories again, but right now it just isn't gonna work. I wish you all the absolute best this year, and for your many to come and with that, I conclude our story for now

 

Oh, and a few more things:

\- I thought that "hits" were like a second, lesser form of likes before, but I know now that they're just views  
\- I plan to explore other fandoms this year, I have a few in mind as well as creating my own stories with my characters if anyone would be interested in that  
\- I might open short drabble requests on Tumblr but I'm still not sure

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcomed  
> 


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